The study and observation of the night sky has been
an important part of society dating back to the Native cultures that inhabited North America. Native peoples looked to astronomical phenomena to tell them when it was time to plant and harvest crops, when to observe many festivals, and to regulate monthly cycles of activity.

Unfortunately, most evidence of Native use of astronomical phenomena is lost. Due to the fact that wood was their primary source of building materials, their wooden structures have disappeared over time. Some stone structures still remain, but they are few and far between. Refer to Module 1 Tutorial 1 for a reference to Native stone medicine wheels.

More recent astronomy begins with the arrival of the Europeans to North America. Early explorers, such as Jacques Cartier, used the stars to map their course across the ocean, and then to chart their progress across the rivers, lakes and forests of the ‘new’ world. The astrolabe of Samuel de Champlain was found in 1867, after he lost it along the Ottawa River in 1613. It was an instrument which he used to check his locations to aid in map making through the lands of the Algonquin and the Huron.

One of the first observatories in North America was created by the Marquis de Chabert in Louisbourg, Cape Breton, in 1750. He used it for mapmaking and some minor observations of the night sky. Perhaps the first official astronomical observatory built in Canada came in 1851 at the University of New Brunswick.

A few smaller observatories were erected in Upper and Lower Canada in the 1800s. The Toronto Observatory was erected in 1840, but it did little astronomical work. The Quebec Observatory was erected in 1850, and for a short time the director, Edward Ashe, worked on solar photography. Observatories were also created in Montreal and Kingston through joint efforts of government and local business people, but they also performed little astronomical work.

More academic study of astronomy came much later. After the formation of Canada as a country and then the invention of time zones by Sir Sanford Fleming, further refinement of the measurement of time was needed.

The Dominion Observatory in Ottawa was built in 1905, with accompanying buildings being added later. It was, in fact, built for a multitude of practical purposes. With the adoption of time zones, it was important to have one official marker for each of the time zones to refer to. The Dominion Observatory performed this function, acting as a standard reference to a line of longitude. With its associated facilities, it was a leading research location into such fields as seismology, earthquake research, and geomagnetism.

This observatory possessed only a 15-inch refracting telescope, which limited its usefulness in serious astronomical research. It did however perform a great service to the public with its time keeping and its weekly tours.

The Dominion Observatory, the first observatory of its kind in Canada, was built in 1905.
It housed a 15-inch refracting telescope and was open to the public every
Saturday night for many years.

Did you know? The first official observatory built in Canada was the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa, with more in mind than just observing the night sky. The facility was built to mark the prime meridian of Canada, so absolute time could be measured for use across Canada. This was particularly important as the western provinces were being developed and train travel was the most common mode of transportation across Canada’s long distances.

Did you know?
The Dominion Observatory housed Canada’s first major telescope, a 15-inch refractor. This telescope was in use right up until 1974, when the telescope was moved to the Canadian Science and Technology Museum, where it is still used for public viewing to this day.

The next observatory in Canada, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO), was built near Victoria, BC, by the Canadian Government. Completed in 1918, the 72-inch (1.8-metre) telescope was the largest in the world for a brief time. It was later surpassed by the 100-inch (2.5m) Hooker telescope in the Mount Wilson Observatory on which Edwin Hubble made his famous discoveries.

The founder of DAO, John S. Plaskett, performed substantial research with this powerful telescope, and he and the facility gained worldwide fame with research on the rotation of our galaxy.

Did you know?

The 72-inch telescope mirror of the Dominion Astrophyscial Observatory was constructed in Belgium, weighing 1960 pounds (890kg.) It was shipped to Canada only a week before World War I began. It was then finished in Pittsburgh, where it was ground three times, due to problems in the manufacturing process. Finally it had to be hauled up Little Saanich Mountain in Victoria by horse and wagon to reach its final destination at the observatory.

The science of astronomy was growing in popularity, and with the development of more powerful telescopes, there was much to be learned. Dr. C.A. Chant, a major contributor in Canada, is often called the “Father of Canadian Astronomy.” Though originally a student of Physics, he joined the University of Toronto faculty and noticed the lack of proper instruction in Astronomy. Dedicating the rest of his life to this topic, he helped create the first astronomy courses in Canada in 1905, and the first department of astronomy in Canada at the University of Toronto. For many years he was the primary instructor for young astronomers in Canada.

Dr. Clarence A. Chant: The
Father of Canadian Astronomy

Chant was limited by the lack of facilities however, and began campaigning for an observatory for the university. Funds were limited, until a private donor became interested. The David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) was finally opened in May of 1935, with a 74 inch (1.88m) telescope. This made it the second largest telescope in the world behind the Mount Wilson telescope and slightly ahead of the DAO telescope in Victoria. This facility became important for serious research, but also an excellent training facility for burgeoning numbers of Canadian astronomers. (See Unit 3, Lesson 3)

The David Dunlap Observatory located in Richmond Hill, north of Toronto, became a centre for
astronomy education in Canada for decades, and continues to be used by students and
professional astronomers. This shows the main dome housing the 1.88m telescope.

Did you know? One of the most prestigious awards for Canadian amateur astronomers is called the Chant Medal, created by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1940. It recognizes outstanding contributions to Canadian astronomy.

The years following the construction of DAO and DDO solidified Canada’s reputation for astronomical research in the world. Additional astronomy departments were created in universities across Canada, though most were simply joint ventures within physics.

After World War II, excess radio equipment became available to astronomers. Radio astronomy was born in Canada as A.E. Covington used some of this equipment to study radio waves emitted by the Sun. In 1959, two radio observatories were created: the Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO) in Algonquin Park, Ontario, and the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO), near Penticton, British Columbia. ARO houses a large 46m moveable dish along with an array of thirty-two 3m dishes. DRAO houses a moveable 26m dish, along with an array of four 9m dishes. DRAO is still very active in radio astronomy research, along with astronomy education and public outreach (See Unit 3, Lesson 4).

One of the most significant moments in Canadian radio astronomy came in 1967 as the two observatories combined their efforts, effectively becoming one large telescope by demonstrating the technique of long baseline interferometry. Using this technique a much higher resolution can be obtained than any optical telescope.

Two further expansions have occurred within Canadian astronomy: large telescopes and orbital telescopes.

The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope sits atop Mauna Kea. It is at an altitude
of 4200m, above the cloud tops so it will usually have good weather for observing,
and there is less atmosphere to distort the images.

Several very large telescopes have been built jointly by Canada and partner countries. In 1979 Canada joined with France and the island of Hawaii to build a 3.6m telescope on Mount Mauna Kea. This extinct volcano offered high altitude, dry weather conditions, and was the perfect setting for an observatory. It has moved beyond optical observations and now also observes infrared light (See Unit 3, Lesson 3).

The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is a joint venture between Canada, the UK and the Netherlands. Its 15m telescope first saw light in 198,7 and it is specifically designed to observe in the submillimetre regime, between infrared light and microwaves, allowing it to observe many special characteristics within our own solar system and other galaxies.

The Gemini pair of telescopes were built in both the northern and southern hemispheres to allow full viewing of the universe around the Earth. Gemini North (1999) is located in Hawaii, on Mount Mauna Kea, and Gemini South (2000) is located in Chile, in the Chilean Andes. Both telescopes are 8m and have been responsible for many important discoveries (See Unit 3, Lesson 3).

The Gemini North telescope can be seen inside its dome. This photo is from the
inauguration of the facility in 1999. The Gemini telescopes use a process called
adaptive optics that will actually flex the mirrors slightly to help correct
distortions caused by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Space Telescopes have also been revolutionizing how astronomers can view the heavens above. For more information on various space telescopes see Module 3, Tutorial 5. Although Alouette 1 was Canada’s first satellite, launched in 1957, it was more a meteorological vehicle than astronomical. Canada has launched several more satellites designed to study the Earth’s atmosphere, including Alouette 2, RADARSAT and SCISAT-1.

The only major Canadian space telescope to date is the MOST telescope, launched in 2003. It is designed to observe tiny oscillations in stars’ light, looking for extra-solar planets, along with the ages and dynamics of stars. It is also the world’s smallest space telescope (See Unit 3, Lesson 5).

Soon the Herschel Space Observatory will be launched, which in many ways is the infrared and submillimetre counterpart of Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Two of its three instruments will be Canadian contributions.